NEW YORK — The Lunar New Year is officially upon us, and the city is ringing it in with festivals, concerts and, of course, a parade. The celebrations begin with the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival on Tuesday in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, and lead up to the annual New York City parade, on Feb. 17 in Chinatown.
Below are other cultural events that welcome the Year of the Pig before the holiday ends Feb. 19.
SOUP SCREENINGS: A CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION at Chinatown Soup. (Wednesday, 7 p.m.) Chinatown Soup, a gallery on the Lower East Side, hosts a screening of “Green Snake,” a classic fantasy by Chinese director Tsui Hark. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Lillian Lee, which itself is loosely based on a Chinese folk tale, the movie follows two snake-demon sisters (Maggie Cheung and Joey Wang) — one green, one white — who, after training for hundreds of years, take human form to experience life as mortals. The screening is accompanied by a color-coordinated menu by Danny Bowien of the Lower East Side bistro Mission Chinese Food. eventbrite.com
HISTORY OF THE LION DANCE WITH STEPHEN GONG at the Museum of Chinese in America. (Thursday, 6:30 p.m.) The traditional lion dance is central to Lunar New Year celebrations. Entertainers in flashy, colorful lion suits perform to the energetic beating of drums, cymbals and gongs to bring good luck for the coming lunar year and dispel evil spirits. Stephen Gong, executive director of the Center for Asian American Media, hosts a discussion on the dance’s rich history. 855-955-6622, mocanyc.org
LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL: YEAR OF THE PIG at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Saturday, 11 a.m.) This daylong celebration starts with a parade, followed by an informative performance by “Sesame Street” puppeteers on the traditions of the Lunar New Year. Other activities include talks on Asian art; workshops where visitors can design their own piggy banks and create Korean paper dolls; and a demonstration on how to prepare hand-pulled noodles. 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org/events
LUNAR NEW YEAR 2019 at Brookfield Place. (Saturday, 2 p.m.) This family-friendly performance features traditional Chinese dance and music and a martial arts demonstration. Arrive at Westfield World Trade Center at 1:40 p.m. to catch a lion dance that will move through Brookfield Place and into the Winter Garden Atrium. 212-978-1673, bfplny.com/events
AN AFTERNOON OF CHINESE THEATER at the New York Chinatown Community Center Theater. (Sunday, 2 p.m.) The Chinese American Arts Council hosts this free program that includes excerpts from 14 eminent Chinese plays. caacarts.org
CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR V at Carnegie Hall. (Feb. 15., 7:30 p.m.). Celebrated Chinese pianist Jie Chen performs alongside soprano Quan Chen, tenor William Weimin Cai and versatile American violinist Deni Bonet in this fifth annual concert. 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org/events
YEAR OF ABUNDANCE: A LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION at Abrons Arts Center. (Feb. 16, 4 p.m.). The Abrons Arts Center partners with two community-based collectives to liven up the Lower East Side with a day of art activities, karaoke, dragon and lion dances, and DJ sets. 212-598-0400, abronsartscenter.org/programs
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.